Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I do not own Twilight.

Chapter Seven

Bella's POV

I couldn't breathe and spots dancing in front of my eyes, making it hard to see. There was a roaring in my ears, drowning out everything but Paul's words.

"He imprinted on you."

Why? God, why couldn't anything be simple? Now, instead of just having Paul's imprint to break, I had to break an imprint with Jacob, my longtime friend.

It just wasn't fair.

My entire world was crumbling around me and I couldn't do a damned thing to stop it.

Paul's POV

"Damn it, do something!" I snarled, unable to control the wolf as we watched our mate fall apart.

"What do you expect me to do?" Sam asked, glaring up at me from kneeling in front of Bella.

As soon as I told her Jacob had imprinted on her, she'd shut down. She wouldn't respond to me or Sam. Emily sat beside her, arm around my mate, talking softly to her. Sam held Bella's hands in his, frowning as he stared into her face.

"Enough of this shit," I grumbled, shoving Sam out of the way.

I grabbed Bella by her arms, shaking her as gently as I could while still indicating I meant business.

"Swan, you stop this right now! Damn it, think about the baby!" I snapped, my entire body trembling under the onslaught of worry for mate and pup.

With a violent shudder, Bella fell into my arms, grasping at my arms to wrap around her. I brought her up against my chest, hushing her softly while she made these horrible noises.

"I've got you, Swan," I murmured into her hair.

"Don't leave me. Please, don't leave," Bella gasped desperately.

"I'm not going anywhere, idiot. Now, breathe," I instructed, framing her face with my hands in order to hold her gaze.

She mimicked my breathing until it was back to normal, her heartbeat no longer sounding as though it was going to pound out of her chest.

"Now, what the hell was that about?" I demanded softly, settling her in my lap as I took her previous place on the couch.

Emily scooted over to make room for me, her concerned gaze boring into my mate. Sam stood in front of us, his arms crossed over his chest and his brows drawn together in frustrated concern.

"I thought… you wouldn't want me anymore," Bella mumbled, her fingers going up and down my forearm.

"Why would you think that?" I pressed, though I already suspected I knew the answer.

"Because… why would you? Edward didn't want me and he said I was his soul mate. Jake doesn't want me and I'm his imprint. If they have, or had, such a connection to me, why would you choose to be with me? I just… don't understand," Bella admitted, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Oh, Bella," Emily whispered, reaching forward to take the younger girl's hand.

"Obviously, you weren't Edward's soul mate. If you were, he never would've been able to leave you, let alone cause you the pain of drinking from you. It was just his adolescent mind wishing for something he was unable to find. As for Jacob, he does want you, but his wolf hates the fact that you're pregnant with Paul's baby. And, until the imprint is broken, he won't be able to look past the wolf's hatred to be happy for you," Sam explained.

Bella stared down at the hand that rested on my arm, her finger drawing circles as she thought over Sam's words. I nodded once at my Alpha, thanking him for putting into words exactly what I had been thinking.

My poor mate.

She had been through too much, too fast. I knew she was plagued by doubt, but I hadn't connected the dots until she'd drawn the lines. It made sense, though, the reason she was so desperate when it came to the thought of me leaving. Even before she found out about Jacob, the one person she had believed would love her forever and never leave had completely shattered her faith in him. In a way, she was right to wonder why I would choose to be with her.

She never could see herself the way others saw her.

"How do I break the imprint?" Bella asked, bringing us back to the issue at hand.

"It's simple, really. You have to reject Jacob's wolf," Sam told her.

She looked up at me, her brown eyes determined as she pulled her hand from Emily's and wrapped both of them around mine. With my free hand, I brushed her hair back behind her ear, smiling slightly when it refused to stay there.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded once.

"Alright. Let's go."

Jake's POV

The sun was coming up, putting a close on the longest fucking night of my life. I trudged through the bushes around my dad's house, looking forward to falling into bed and forgetting all about Bella fucking Swan.

As I walked past the shed that passed for a garage, I saw a light was on inside. Groaning at having Quil or Embry in there messing with my shit, I stormed inside, ready to chew them out, but stopped short.

"Hey, Jake," Bella smiled weakly.

I blinked a few times, making sure I wasn't imagining things, but the image before me refused to go away. Bella sat on the hood of my Rabbit, feet on the bumper, legs spread apart, arms braced on her knees as she leaned forward. Her luscious mahogany hair fell over her shoulders, the tips tickling the soft skin of her arms. My wolf growled, partly from the urge to fuck her and partly in anger as Paul's scent hit us.

"What are you doing here, Bella?" I managed to growl out as I fought down the wolf.

She bit her lip, a sure sign that she was nervous and I swallowed a groan and a snarl at the same time.

"Paul told me about you… and me," Bella told me, her voice soft as a breeze.

I grunted, having kinda guessed that was why she'd shown up.

"Jake, will you… phase?" Bella asked, biting her thumb as she looked up at me.

I froze, every nerve in my body zinging as my wolf fought to the surface.

"Get. Away," I snarled, sensing a loss of control was quick in coming.

She instantly slid off the car and moved behind it, ducking down as the phase took over. In a blink, I landed on my paws, huffing as I scented the air.

No blood.

She was safe.

The wolf growled, the anger rising when the mix of Bella and Paul's scent came crashing into me. I could feel the fur along my back standing up, but before the wolf could completely take over, Sam stepped in the way.

"Stand down, Jacob," Sam ordered, though it lacked the Alpha command.

I growled at him, disappointed at being kept away from my prey.

"Bella, come here," Sam insisted, not taking his eyes off me.

I watched as Bella stood from behind the car and slowly made her way to Sam. With a hand, he kept her slightly behind him.

No doubt protecting that bastard growing inside her.

I barred my teeth at them, a growl continuously rumbling through my body, but Sam didn't order me to stand down. Instead, Bella moved forward. Instantly, the wolf focused on her.

"I don't want you," Bella said calmly.

My entire body jerked as though I had stuck my finger in an electric socket. I shook my head, trying to get rid of the feeling, but it persisted.

"I release you from the bond," Bella continued, her voice just as composed.

One last volt and my body slumped forward. Without warning, I phased back to human, naked as the day I was born and just as unsteady. Sam kneeled down beside me, his hand on my shoulder.

"Easy. Take it easy," Sam soothed.

The wolf slumped inside of me, weaker than I was. Turning my head slightly, I saw Bella standing by Paul, his arms wrapped protectively around her.

I didn't want to kill him.

Or her.

With that though, relief coursed through me and I felt like sobbing at everything I'd done to her.

My best friend.

"I'm so sorry," I gasped, feeling a tear slip from the corner of my eye.

"It's okay," Bella smiled weakly.

"Let's see about getting you inside. You need to rest up," Sam insisted, lifting me easily.

"You do, too. It's been a long night," Paul murmured to his mate.

Bella nodded, giving me one last smile before Paul led her away. Sam helped me into the house and into my room.

"Get some sleep. When you feel up to it, come by the house. We'll talk about this," Sam instructed.

I nodded, my head feeling heavier despite the ease I finally felt. Before the door could click shut behind him, I slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Seriously, with the holidays and family visits and having to go with my family to a lot of events, I had no time to write or read. So sad!

But, updates should be quicker in coming now. I'm back at school and classes don't start for another two weeks. Plenty of time for writing!

See you guys next chapter!